"Sonic Colors" Videogame Talkback (Spoilers!)

[Gold Guy]

Reach for the Stars.

Release Date: November 16, 2010
Publisher: Sega
Consoles: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS

Plot Summary: Sonic and Tails, with the help of a race of colorful aliens, must stop Eggman, who has created a space carnival.

Thoughts?

[Nel]

I just started playing it, but so far the controls feel much more solid than they have in years.

Did the story start after Act 2 of Tropical Resort for anyone else? Thought it was strange that the game just threw me into it like that.

[Desensitized]

It's the best Sonic game since Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

No treasure hunting, no Werehog, no magical swords, no shooting, just high speed platforming action. There are no glitches, there are no game breaking bugs, the controls are actually good, and the camera isn't a moron. I got half the red rings in the game so far, and I'm having a blast.

I like the way they made it easier to die by being hit, as catching rings isn't as easy as it used to be, and they aren't swimming all over the screen, the only times I've died via pit death so far, was trying to get red rings. I've died more from being hit without rings than being killed from missing a jump.

I really can't believe this came from the Storybook team. Please, for the love of everything, make them the main team. They more than deserved it with this one.

[Daxdiv]

I played Sonic Colors for about hour, beat the first stage mostly, (didn't get all those red rings or S ranks yet) and so far, I'm impressed. The controls are solid, (I'm using the Wiimote held sideways), the graphics are amazing, the music is nice and I haven't encountered any bugs yet. I'm enjoying this more than Sonic 4 at the moment.

That first boss was pretty easy to beat. I was close to getting S Rank on it, maybe I should try again for that.

[Desensitized]

That first boss was pretty easy to beat. I was close to getting S Rank on it, maybe I should try again for that.

Spoiler:

There's a hidden wisp in every boss battle that delivers a critical hit on it that will give you the bonus to get an S rank. It's really an ingenious idea.

This is the first Sonic game where I've actually WANTED to replay stages for S ranks. Having it based on your amount of exploration is a lot more fun than just speed running through. Though even that is fun in this game.

I think the only weakness is that the bosses are really way too easy. Such a shame too, because the first boss battle music is awesome and I want to hear more of it.

But yeah, this game is way better than Sonic 4 is.

[Shift]

The game IS a lot of fun; it's been really easy to just keep moving, but slowing down to explore is also very rewarding. I'm looking forward to getting further along in the game.

Also, this had to be done:

[Ryusuke]

^ XD

Anyway, yeah...this game is singing my song for once!

"The colors feel so right!"

...almost.

EDIT: Beat the story. Considering I really had no expectations of this game, it delivered. I kind of found the levels pretty easy, and it was only at certain points where I actually wanted to throw my control at the TV. Not to mention, I get my first Game Over in years. What a wake up call. I thought the controls were solid enough. They were a little slippery in the 3D portions. You can't really keep Sonic going in a straight line for instance. But, it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the game. Actually slowing down and exploring felt a lot more rewarding too. I'm still in the middle of finding the red rings. Aquatic Park really surprised me. Here I thought it'd be the worst level ever, what with all that water, but I found it one of the best levels in the game. The Wisps were a lot of fun to use when they were there. My only disappointment is that...there's only 4 bosses! And you see 3 of them over and over again! The Sonic VS Eggman showdown was nice though.

Another thing, the 3D portions feel kinda...barren. Not much exploration there. But, ah well. But, the autopilot portions didn't bother me as much as other people.

The story was typical Saturday Morning cartoon flair, but it's not without it's charm. Some lines and jokes were incredibly lame, but there were some that were genuinely funny. I love how Sonic and Tails are written in this game. I never liked the way the old writers wrote these characters, so these characterizations feel like a breath of fresh air. Roger Craig Smith and Kate Higgins were fantastic as Sonic and Tails. And it's great having Mike Pollock on Eggman again. And of course Cubot and Orbot were fun characters too. The music was pretty good, too. ...except the ending credits song. >_>;

It's not perfect, but this game is DEFINITELY a step in the right direction.

[PC!]

I worked really hard on this needlessly long post for another message board, so I may as well get some mileage out of it.

I don't like this game.

For starters, though, let me say what I do like: the story and writing are fantastic. I've never enjoyed or laughed so much at Sonic since the old DiC cartoons. It really brings out how horribly stilted and cheesy the writing was in the older games.

Most of the wisps compliment Sonic's gameplay really well. The drill, laser, frenzy, and even spike wisps to some extent really utilize Sonic's speed while bringing something new to the table. Rocket's not bad, I suppose. But the cube wisp...oh lord, how could they possibly think that was a good idea to have in a Sonic game?

Also, the actual level "designs" are fantastic. I've been yearning for far out, crazy levels like these since Sonic Heroes, and they're a definite improvement over the hyper-realistic Sonic Unleashed levels. At least in appearance.

That leads to the bad:

The platforming is slow, clunky, and tedious. Platformers are easily my favorite genre of video game, partly due to the classic Sonic games. But classic Sonic games NEVER had so much random jumping from barren platform to barren platform. Occasionally, yes, but this game falls back on this boring manner of platforming far too often. Sonic 1-3 were great at mixing the speed and platforming so that everything flowed smoothly from one part of the level to the next. I fail to see how this game even begins to capture the feeling of classic Sonic.

Too many mind-numbingly slow/boring gameplay mechanics. Starlight Carnival, I'm looking at you, in particular. The part where you automatically stand still as the Eggman-faced launchers send you up in the air? What was the point of those? How about pressing a button and then standing there waiting for a laser column to VERY slowly turn around and unblock your path? And what about the fully-automated scenes in Act 1 where Sonic is running along a materializing pathway? Sure, it was great eye candy, but for years fans have been complaining about the games playing themselves at times, now we're praising it?

Why can some of the levels be beaten in less than 20 seconds while others take upwards of 5 minutes? It's like Sonic Team had trouble coming up with six acts per zone and simply trimmed off tiny slivers of larger levels, making them into their own acts and throwing in red rings. I personally think it would have been better to cut the amount of acts down to perhaps four per zone (five including the boss), and make each act a little more even length-wise.

And possibly my biggest problem with the game...why is the camera so friggin' zoomed out? How am I supposed to play through a game when I can't see where my character is at 3/4 of the time? I've gotten many a game over due to this.

I wanted to love this game. I really did. But all in all, I feel Sonic Team took a gamble and lost. They wanted this game to be the best parts of Sonic Unleashed. It's definitely not the worst parts (I think we all know what those are), but it's far from the best.

[Desensitized]

I had 70 lives by the end of the game and my first death was in Starlight Carnival Act 6, so I have no idea why some people complain about the platforming. And I'm using the Wiimote and Nunchuck. You aren't supposed to use your double jump except as an emergency (like you overshot your jump), and the reason some acts are short is because you're supposed to replay them with all the wisps to find all the red medals in them.

It's too bad you didn't enjoy it, but I had no problems at all with the platforming, and thought it was just as fast as Sonic 1 or CD when you have the levels down. The platforming is not all that dissimilar from those games. I guess I just like the platforming mechanics in this game. I slipped right into them with no fuss, they certainly aren't as slippery as Unleashed's was.

I appreciated the automated part of Starlight Carnival Act 1 because it's pretty much the only one in the entire game. It's fine because it isn't overused.

And what's the problem with Cube? You have to platform fast when you use it. That seems pretty "Sonic" to me.

Sorry if I seem defensive, I really like this game.

[Gold Guy]

Well, I am enjoying the game so far. Fun stages, great graphics, the voice acting is better than ever, etc. The script is kinda okay sometimes, but it can be hit-or-miss.

Anyway, thanks Sega, for making a great game!

[Daxdiv]

Well, last night I was able to beat another world and was halfway through another one, and I'm still in love with this game. I think my favorite Wisps ability right now is the drill, well next to the turbo boost, but the turbo boost has one great effect to it, in the regards that the music changes. Though I still find the Cube one to be a bit ridiculous.

Really, most of my deaths were because of my own ignorance, or backtracking. I think one instance was me trying to go back and get a red ring, and I ended up dying due to running near the spikes, and my second boss battle where I foolishly jumped in the air to collect more Wisps, not realizing that to beat the boss in the 2nd phase, I needed to slide. So yeah, my own ignorance.

As for the voices, I still love Sonic and Tails new VAs, they're pretty amazing so far.

[PC!]

Anyone else pick up the DS version?

Now that I love. I don't think I'll ever tire of the Sonic Rush gameplay, and the platforming is significantly more enjoyable, though there's admittedly a lot less than its console counterpart. That, and the void wisp is awesome. The only real problem I had was the game felt really short. Of course that was due to it having 2 less zones than the previous "Rush" games.

[Desensitized]

Holy crap, guys. Sweet Mountain Act 3 is AWESOME! There's so many alternate routes through the stage, if it wasn't for the red rings, I never would have found them. And they're like totally different. Color me surprised.

So far I've got 150/180 rings including all of Tropical Resort, Sweet Mountain, and Asteroid Coaster. Only 30 more to go, and some of these buggers are tough to find.

[Daxdiv]

So far I've got 150/180 rings including all of Tropical Resort, Sweet Mountain, and Asteroid Coaster. Only 30 more to go, and some of these buggers are tough to find.

Wow! Sounds like what you were doing to New Super Mario Bros. Wii last year, you're beasting this game. So how many S ranks are you left from 100% completion?

[Desensitized]

Wow! Sounds like what you were doing to New Super Mario Bros. Wii last year, you're beasting this game. So how many S ranks are you left from 100% completion?

I'm getting S and A ranks mostly, I've mostly been focusing on the red rings. But what's really awesome is some things I just wasn't expecting.

Spoiler:

To get the first red ring in Planet Wisp Act 6, really made me say WOW... The level design really sings when you're exploring it. There's this killer branch RIGHT at the start of Aquarium Park Act 1 where you're practically flying

So yeah, I guess you can say I love this game.

Up to 175/180. Only Aquarium Park is left. Can't wait for that bonus!


EDIT: Done! Got all 180 rings and beat all the Gameland levels! Consider all 65 stages beaten!

I have exactly 22 S ranks and 22 A ranks. I think I'll just leave that as is, I'm satisfied.

Spoiler:

And yes, Super Sonic is as awesome as always

[Rynnec]

Rented this game at Hastings today.. I've gotta say that this is miles better than Unleashed ever was.Liking the wisps as well, especially the dark-purple one. I'm SO glad that Sonic isn't as slippery or hard to control this time around, the cutscenes are pretty enjoyable too, hope these writers are here to stay, I'd love to see they're take on the other characters.

[Chaotix12345]

Giant Bomb recently did a particularly hilarious quick look at this game:

LASER! WHITE GUY!

[Kazuya Prower]

I played the Wii version and I've enjoyed it alot more than Unleashed. Roger Craig Smith and Kate Higgins did an excellent job as Sonic and Tails. My favorite songs in the game were Sweet Mountain Act 1 and Terminal Velocity Act 2.

[Desensitized]

Played through Challenge mode, and man is that something. It's basically like playing through the old games, stage after stage with no breaks for 45 levels.

Finding the best paths and utilizing wisps at the right moments is crucial to get a high score and good time.

My total game time is now at 15 hours. Too short? What?

[Rynnec]

So here are my thoughts after beating the final boss.

Spoiler:

First off let me say that it's really nice to have Eggman as the final boss for once. Though while it was fun It also felt slightly anticlimactic for some reason. I also didn't like Terminal Velocity at all, was that really all that they could come up with for the final stage? And don't get me started on the pointlessness that was act 2. Also dissapointed that Metal Sonic didn't appear in this game, as a boss or otherwise. Despite all my negatives I did enjoy it. Like I said in my earlier post I think this is the best sonic game yet (though I've yet to play Sonic 4.) and while the story wasn't as good as Unleashed's was, the writing of the cutscenes more than made up for that.

If this game was the Sonic equivalent of Super Mario Galaxy then let's hope that Sega makes Sonic's 20th anniversary game their answer to Galaxy 2.